USB 2.0 standard Type A connectors are currently used as a standardized connector for many battery charging devices that are connected to consumer electronic devices such as cellular telephones, portable music players, and portable computers via wire cables that have one connector configured to interface with the USB 2.0 Type A connectors and another connector configured to interface with the electronic device, such as a USB 2.0 micro connector. USB 2.0 Type A connectors have 4 terminals that are used to support charging a battery in the device: Bus Voltage (VBus), Ground (GND), Data + (D+), and Data—(D−). Current consumer devices typically use the D+ and D− terminals to communicate the desired battery charge current level of the VBus and GND terminals to the controller in the battery charging device if the desired battery charging current level is above the USB default current level of 0.5 Amperes (A).
There are several Universal Serial Bus standards. USB 1.1 introduced in 1998 to address issues with USB 1.0 supports data rates of up to 12 Megabits/second (Mb/s) introduced in 1998. USB 2.0 was introduced in 2000 supports data rates of up to 480 Mb/s. USB 3.0 was introduced in 2008 and supports data rates of up to 5000 Mb/s or 5 Gigabytes/second (Gb/s). The Type A and Type B connectors used with USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 standards are identical. The USB 3.0 Type A connector contains additional terminals, but is backward compatible with the Type A connector used with USB 1.1 and 2.0. The Type B connector used with USB 3.0 is not backward compatible with the USB 2.0 Type B connector. USB 2.0 standard also includes a micro Type B connector. The USB 3.0 micro connector includes a USB 2.0 micro Type B connector and a separate connector containing the additional USB 3.0 specific terminals. Universal Serial Bus standards are available from the USB Implementers Forum, Inc. of Beaverton, Oreg. or from their web site www.usb.org.
The desired battery charge current level or “charging profile” is transmitted by different voltages on the D+ and D− terminals. For example a voltage of +2.0 volts on the D+ terminal and +2.7 volts on the D terminal may indicate a charging profile of 0.750 A while a voltage of +1.5 volts on the D+ terminal and +3.0 volts on the D− terminal may indicate a charging profile of 1.5 A. The voltage level combinations for the various charging profiles are stored as charging profile data in a memory device of the controller.
As new consumer electronic devices come to market, the device manufacturers are defining new charging profiles supplying new and different charging currents that are selected from the battery charging device using new and different combinations of voltages on the D+ and D− terminals. Therefore, it is desired to provide a means of updating charging profiles so existing battery charging devices can optimally support these new electronic devices.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.